How Israeli settlers profit from stolen Palestinian land
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Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
New Zealand prime minister says Israel's Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'
Aug 13 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Wednesday that Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu had 'lost the plot' as the country weighs up whether to recognise a Palestinian state. Luxon told reporters that the lack of humanitarian assistance, the forceful displacement of people and the annexation of Gaza were utterly appalling and that Netanyahu had gone way too far. "I think he has lost the plot," added Luxon, who heads the centre-right coalition government. "What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable." Luxon said earlier this week New Zealand was considering whether to recognise a Palestinian state. Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would do so at a U.N. conference in September. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels", Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave. Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies. Ahead of Wednesday's parliamentary session, a small number of protesters gathered outside the country's parliament buildings, beating pots and pans. Local media organisation Stuff reported protesters chanted 'MPs grow a spine, recognise Palestine.' On Tuesday, Greens parliamentarian Chloe Swarbrick was removed from parliament's debating chamber after she refused to apologise for a comment insinuating government politicians were spineless for not supporting a bill to 'sanction Israel for its war crimes." Swarbrick was ordered to leave the debating chamber for a second day on Wednesday after she again refused to apologise. When she refused to leave, the government voted to suspend her. 'Sixty-eight members of this House were accused of being spineless," House speaker Gerry Brownlee said. "There has never been a time where personal insults like that delivered inside a speech were accepted by this House and I'm not going to start accepting it." As Swarbrick left, she called out 'free Palestine.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
The best tour operators — as chosen by you
The Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards are here again — and the winners are entirely chosen by you, the reader. This is your chance to nominate your favourite destinations, whether city or country; and to tell us which cruise, airline and tour operator you think goes above and beyond. Tour operators are the backbone of travel. They provide the essential trinity of inspiration, organisation and insulation if anything goes awry. A good tour operator is the key to a treasure chest of travel experiences: from a weekend visiting the coastal fortifications of Kent to a chauffeur-guided week exploring the highland tea estates of Sri Lanka or a fortnight tackling the mountain passes of Bhutan on a bicycle. They have the knowledge and the contacts to make all of this happen … and to sort it out when it doesn't. As a professional travel writer, I rely on these companies for ideas and expertise. Over the years I have worked in a lot of remote destinations and I wouldn't have been able to do a story about the seafood-eating wolves of British Columbia, or diving in the fabulous coral seas off Papua New Guinea, if it hadn't been for my tour operator. For closer destinations, particularly Europe, I tend to make my own arrangements, but still rely on specialist operators who know the best hotels and cottages to stay in. My most memorable experience started at a divine (tour op-recommended) oasis hotel in the deserts of southern Tunisia, where I was chilling out under the stars, blissfully unaware that Covid was closing airports all over the world. Mercifully, my operator came charging to the rescue out of the darkness, and got me on one of the last planes out of the country. That flight took me to Paris, rather than to London, but I was still mightily grateful not to experience lockdown in the Sahara (I won't name the operator here, in case I influence the vote). The award categories this year are best overall tour operator or travel agent, best luxury tour operator and best guided adventure operator. So if there's a company that gave you great service, show them your support. Last year we received 470,000 votes across all categories. And remember, your vote could earn you one of ten fabulous travel prizes. Before you click through to cast your vote, let's look at how you voted last year. Over the 12 years of these awards you've celebrated many top names from the tour operator world. In 2024, in the best tour operator category, the tailor-made specialist Trailfinders came out top for a third year in a row, followed by Jet2holidays and British Airways Holidays. Equally consistently, Kuoni has led the way in the luxury tour operator category over the past three years, followed by Audley Travel and Abercrombie & Kent. In the best guided adventure operator category, including escorted tours, Great Rail Journeys has topped the poll for two years running. There hasn't been much movement over the past few years — readers know what they like. In 2023, Jet2holidays and Tui were second and third to Trailfinders in the best tour operator category, and Tui and Virgin Holidays came second and third in 2022. Keeping these rankings is hard work, and operators can't afford to stay still. In the luxury tour operator category, Kuoni, Audley Travel and Abercrombie & Kent have taken the top three slots for the past three years and are a seemingly unshakeable triumvirate in that sector; while in the best escorted tour operator category, it's been a close call between Riviera, Exodus, Intrepid and Voyages Jules Verne. But who will be on the podium this year? Make your vote count. • Have your say here — and be in with a chance of winning a great prize Three-time winner Trailfinders, a specialist in tailor-made travel, is particularly known for its well-travelled consultants, who have personal experience of a huge range of destinations and can make informed recommendations and adjust itineraries based on your preferences. It was originally known solely for long haul, but now covers pretty much everything, near and far, including tours of the UK. Generally, the further away you are and the more exotic the destination, the more important it is to have a well-resourced operator like this looking after you. Kuoni has a similar world reach, particularly for premium travel. It also creates bespoke itineraries, based on consultations with customers. Its bestselling destinations are places that offer barefoot luxury such as the Maldives (particularly for honeymoons and celebrations), Thailand, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bali, followed by several Caribbean islands. Great Rail Journeys is more focused on group travel, which can be a challenge. I was on one of its tours last year; it shepherded a crowd of us down across Europe to the Danube for a river cruise, which is no mean feat in the height of summer. Despite the name, rail travel is an option rather than a given in the company's portfolio. But GRJ does offer destinations, both short-haul and long-haul, where the train journeys are more than just a method of transport — for example, Switzerland's mountain climbers or Japan's pioneering bullet trains. Meanwhile, Tui is busily expanding its city-break programme, a relatively new concept for the UK's largest tour operator, by adding the likes of Salzburg and Alicante; while Jet2holidays is widening its selection of destinations, particularly from regional airports like Birmingham, Bournemouth and Liverpool John Lennon. For mainstream package companies like these, it can be tougher to earn customer accolades. They will, of course, have clients' interests at heart, but price point and managing the logistics of big groups demand a very different set of skills. For much of the time, these operators remain discreetly in the background, but that's because everything is going according to plan. Over the years, online travel agents, low-cost airlines and Airbnb have bitten a big chunk out of the tour operator pie. Only the good ones have survived. These are people who love the business and are keen to show you something new that they themselves have discovered. They are companies that can make the numbers work, or who have become masters of a particular niche. They want your money too, but that is not the only motivation, for these people are on your side. They need to be — they want you back again. So give us your feedback on the tour operators you know, both good and bad, in the comments — and then cast your votes here.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Anas al-Sharif and Gaza's journalists: Israel is wiping out the witnesses
Anas al-Sharif knew that far from offering protection amid the slaughter in Gaza, his press credentials further endangered him. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned last month of acute danger to the 28-year-old's life as the Israel Defense Forces stepped up online attacks on him. These were not merely smears, but a death threat in response to his coverage, the Al Jazeera reporter said. And now he is dead, one of five media workers killed in an airstrike on Sunday. The CPJ says that more than 180 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in almost two years of war – more than the number who have died globally in the previous three years. This does not merely reflect Gaza's vast death toll – 61,599, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry and many more if independent experts are correct. Nor does it merely reflect the courage shown by reporters, photographers, camera operators and others in a war zone. The CPJ says 26 of the reporters were targeted. Israeli officials have bragged of killing Mr Sharif, whom they have claimed was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell, planning rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. Mr Sharif and Al Jazeera had already denied this. It would surely be hard for such a prominent figure to combine reporting with command of such a unit. The documents offered up by Israel as evidence end two years before the war began, and were reportedly screen grabs of electronic spreadsheets, not independently verified. Israeli officials have repeatedly offered wildly misleading and rapidly shifting accounts of events, including the killing of paramedics in Gaza this spring. In 2023, an IDF general reportedly told American officials within hours that one of its soldiers had probably shot dead the acclaimed Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank – but Israeli officials insisted publicly that Palestinian militants were to blame. No justification has even been attempted for the deaths of Mr Sharif's colleagues. Mr Sharif's 90-year-old father was killed in an airstrike on their home in late 2023, after Israeli military officials called the journalist telling him to stop reporting and leave Gaza. Israeli claims that he was a Hamas fighter resurfaced last month after his emotional reporting on starvation went viral. He was killed as outrage mounted over Gaza's famine and shortly after Israel announced its plan to launch a ground offensive in Gaza City, which would only deepen the catastrophe and is reportedly opposed by many in the military too. The deaths of the Al Jazeera team in the city ensure few are left to bear witness to what unfolds. International correspondents are unable to enter Gaza except on escorted military trips during which they cannot speak to Palestinians. Sheltered by the US, Israel's government appears unmoved as international public opinion turns against it and even staunch allies blench at the horrors of Gaza. The Al Jazeera killings have been widely and rightly condemned. The Reporters sans Frontières group has also urged the international criminal court to investigate the treatment of media workers. 'If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice,' Mr Sharif wrote in a posthumously published statement. Deliberately targeting journalists is a war crime: an assault not only on the person, but on truth itself. Yet it cannot disguise Israel's other atrocities. Rather, it adds to the charge sheet against its leaders. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
